A senior Russian military intelligence official who was shot in Moscow has regained consciousness after undergoing emergency surgery, according to Russian media reports.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, was seriously wounded on Friday after being attacked inside his apartment building in the north-west of the capital. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma following surgery.
On Saturday, doctors said his condition had stabilised and that the immediate threat to his life had passed, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported.
Investigators say the 64-year-old general was ambushed on the stair landing of his residential block, where he was shot three times. According to sources cited by the Kommersant newspaper, he was struck in the chest or abdomen before the attacker fled with an accomplice. Residents in the building reported hearing multiple gunshots, followed by cries for help.
Russian authorities have opened a criminal case for attempted murder. Two suspects have reportedly been arrested and are expected to be questioned, with a court hearing likely to determine whether they will be held in pretrial detention.
Senior Russian officials were quick to accuse Ukraine of orchestrating the attack. However, Kyiv has denied any involvement. Ukraine’s foreign minister told Reuters that his country had nothing to do with the shooting.
Alexeyev is one of Russia’s most prominent intelligence figures and has played a key role in military operations, including the war in Ukraine. He was previously awarded the title Hero of Russia for his involvement in Moscow’s intervention in Syria and has been under EU and UK sanctions since 2018.
He is the latest in a series of high-ranking Russian military figures targeted near Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, similar incidents in recent years have heightened security concerns within Russia’s military and intelligence circles.
The shooting comes at a sensitive moment, as diplomatic efforts continue to explore a possible end to the war. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that the United States has proposed hosting direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators next week, potentially in Miami, with Washington aiming for a resolution by June.